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one State as opposed to farm service offices in another State. I am 

 saying generally that we don't want to have an office located 

 where farmers no longer exist. But if the farmers exist there in sig- 

 nificant numbers, we will have an office there. 



So we just have to work it out as far as the numbers and the 

 budget aspect. But we have enough time to do it. We are not going 

 to rush headlong into any comprehensive cutting of local offices. 

 We are going to do it deliberately, methodically, and with an eye 

 toward improving farmer services and streamlining taxpayers ex- 

 posure. 



Mr. Roberts. In reclaiming my time, Mr. Chairman, I would like 

 to submit for the record a statement of our colleague, Mr. Bob 

 Smith from Oregon. 



The Chairman. Without objection, his prepared statement will 

 appear in the record at the beginning of the hearing. 



Mr. Roberts. I yield back the balance of my time. 



The Chairman. Mr. Brown. 



Mr. Brown. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Secretary, we are pleased to see you and of course extend 

 our offer, as the chairman has already done, for full cooperation in 

 addressing some of those problems which have proven intractable 

 over the years that I know you are familiar with. 



You made some statements about the need for the USDA to 

 reach out to all of its constituents. I think that is going to involve 

 some changes. The world has changed a lot since your father was 

 an agent, the country has, and even the Congress has. 



Secretary Espy. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Brown. The President has indicated that he wants to have a 

 government that looks like America and respects the needs of 

 America. It seems likely that the USDA may not have changed as 

 much as the rest of the world has. I am rather interested in how 

 you're going to make the USDA look like America and how you're 

 going to make it act like we want Americans to act like, which 

 sometimes it doesn't do. 



I don't expect you to spell it out, but I want you to emphasize, if 

 you can, your commitment to doing that. 



Secretary Espy. Thank you for the question. 



I would suggest that we have already seen some changes at 

 USDA in the person of this individual sitting before you. To have 

 an African-American male as Secretary will be pretty different 

 over there. 



I would endeavor — if you are speaking in terms of construction of 

 the deputies and the subdeputies, I would say to you that we are 

 well on the way toward presenting the final list to the President on 

 filling these very important jobs over at the USDA. 



I have to tell you that as he had no quota in mind with regard to 

 ethnics and minorities and any degree with regard to sex-based 

 numbers, I don't either. We want to get qualified people. But we 

 want to make sure that it looks like America. We want to make 

 sure that the folks who end up occupying these positions don't just 

 reflect one point of view and that they will reach out to sectors and 

 constituent groups who have felt left out. 



All I can say to you right now is that we're in the final stages of 

 promoting the top two or three people who, in my consideration, 



